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Afternoon Edition

May 22, 2025

The 2025 College Football Playoff will seed teams according to their rankings, regardless of conference championships. But that comes with one big financial footnote.

— David Rumsey [[link removed]], Eric Fisher [[link removed]], and Colin Salao [[link removed]]

New CFP Seeding Rewards Rankings, Not Titles—Except on the Paycheck [[link removed]]

James Lang-Imagn Images

The College Football Playoff is making a big format change for its second season under the expanded model.

The CFP management committee—made up of FBS conference commissioners and Notre Dame athletic director Pete Bevacqua—has approved a new seeding structure for the 12-team bracket, according to multiple reports, after last year’s inaugural Playoff caused plenty of controversy [[link removed]].

For the 2025 CFP, the 12 teams will be seeded according to their final CFP rankings, regardless of conference championships. However, the shift comes with a compromise around the finances of the CFP.

Last year, the four highest-ranked conference champions received the top four seeds [[link removed]]. That gave them first-round byes—and a guaranteed $8 million payday [[link removed]] for their conferences, which received $4 million for each school that made the CFP and for each school that qualified for the quarterfinal.

Under the new model, the four highest-ranked teams will earn first-round byes, but the conferences with the four highest-ranked champions will still pocket the automatic $8 million payout, even if their champion is not ranked inside the top four.

Looking Back on 2024

Last year, Mountain West champion Boise State and Big 12 champion Arizona State received the Nos. 3 and 4 seeds, despite ending the season ranked Nos. 9 and 12, respectively. Texas and Penn State received seeds Nos. 5 and 6, despite ending the season ranked Nos. 3 and 4. Big Ten champion Oregon was ranked No. 1, and SEC champion Georgia No. 2.

Despite the first-round byes, last season’s top four seeds were each knocked out by the lower seeds [[link removed]] in the CFP quarterfinals.

Filling Out the Bracket

There will be no change to who qualifies for the CFP, as the five highest-ranked conference champions and the next seven highest-ranked teams will still make up the 12-team bracket. That means the fifth-highest-ranked conference champion could still bump a team ranked in the top 12 out of the CFP, like ACC champion Clemson (No. 16) did to Alabama (No. 11) last season.

Under the new model, Notre Dame, which made $20 million [[link removed]] from its CFP run since it is independent and not affiliated with a conference, will be able to earn a first-round bye, which was previously not possible.

The payouts, which also included another $6 million for a conference whose school reached the semifinals and played in the national championship game, are expected to be similar this season. But the revenue distribution will be under a new model for the 2026 season and beyond, which will move away from per-round payouts and see the Big Ten and SEC make the majority of money. The specific details of that new model are not yet finalized.

FRONT OFFICE SPORTS LIVE

What’s Next in Sports Media?

We’re in a golden age for sports media. Live games are the most-watched programs on TV. Women’s sports are exploding. Giant streamers are joining the party. And sports documentaries have never been hotter properties.

But the landscape is shifting beneath our feet. The cable TV bundle that supported national and local sports TV media rights for decades is under severe pressure. The NFL could opt out early from its $111 billion media deals. Big names are launching their own companies and demanding more autonomy.

Join us in New York City this September for Tuned In [[link removed]], where we’ll sit down with leaders to discuss where we are heading in the world of sports media. NBA commissioner Adam Silver and NWSL commissioner Jessica Berman are confirmed, with influential on-air talent, media moguls, and executives to be announced soon.

Register now [[link removed]].

NBC Eyes MLB Rights, Looks to Own Sunday Nights Year-Round [[link removed]]

Detroit Free Press

A seemingly obvious match between a sports league and a broadcast network could be drawing closer to reality.

NBC Sports has tendered an official bid for Major League Baseball rights, according to The Wall Street Journal [[link removed]], including Sunday night and postseason inventory. That report confirmed prior Front Office Sports reporting [[link removed]] of ongoing talks between the Comcast-owned network and the league. The agreement, if completed, would see NBC Sports acquiring key pieces of rights being forfeited by ESPN after the 2025 season [[link removed]].

A deal would deepen the NBC Sports Sunday night presence. The network just completed its 14th consecutive season with Sunday Night Football as the top show in U.S. prime time [[link removed]], and is already eyeing a 15th such campaign [[link removed]]. Newly acquired NBA rights beginning this fall will also include a significant Sunday night presence.

An addition of MLB rights would allow the concept to run across the entire calendar. Peacock, which has a fundamental presence in live sports and has risen to 41 million subscribers [[link removed]], would also be principally involved.

The fundamental issue, as it’s been since ESPN exercised an opt-out [[link removed]] of the MLB deal’s final three years, is money. NBC Sports is believed to be offering less than the current $550 million annual fee ESPN pays. That’s due partially to NBC Sports passing on some additional elements that ESPN has had, such as radio and highlight rights.

Because of that, it remains possible MLB will break up the ESPN rights into multiple parts, though sources tell FOS the situation remains fluid.

Market Dynamics

Interest remains high in how the league solves this issue. Back in February, Braves chairman Terry McGuirk raised expectations [[link removed]] by saying, “I think the market is going to be surprised at the enthusiasm and uptake on these sets of rights.”

More recently, McGuirk has been somewhat more tempered, saying in a team earnings call earlier this month, “I have confidence in the commissioner [Rob Manfred] and his ability to negotiate successful new media agreements in the coming years.” McGuirk also cited the player talent driving attendance and viewership increases [[link removed]] across the league, which is also fueling “significant interest” in the media rights.

The ongoing situation is additionally a prelude to 2028, when each of the league’s current national-rights deals is due to expire. Manfred is looking to use that window to pursue a more nationalized media strategy [[link removed]].

In March, NBC Sports president of acquisitions and partnerships Jon Miller praised MLB’s trajectory, saying, “There’s so much great product out there with so many terrific athletes, so many compelling stories, great ownership, great markets, and so I’m excited for the future of baseball.”

Back in Bristol

As for ESPN, the Disney-owned network has not given up hope of striking a reworked deal with the league, though there are no active talks.

“We love the game of baseball, and we would like to figure something with them, ultimately,” said ESPN chairman Jimmy Pitaro last week as the network unveiled its forthcoming direct-to-consumer streaming service [[link removed]]. “And yes, that includes local, in-market games.”

The Pacers Refused to Tank—and It’s Paying Off [[link removed]]

Brad Penner-Imagn Images

Moments after sinking a basket to send Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals into overtime, Tyrese Haliburton held out the choke celebration. He mimicked Pacers legend Reggie Miller, who had done the same thing at Madison Square Garden in 1994. Miller was in the arena Wednesday, calling the game for TNT.

Haliburton and Miller are Pacers stars separated by about three decades—but Herb Simon has been the team’s owner through both eras. Simon purchased the Pacers in 1983, four years before the team selected Miller with the No. 11 pick.

Under Simon, Indiana has avoided tanking or bottoming out in the standings to get a high draft pick. The Pacers have won under 30 games just once since 1990—four seasons ago, the same year they traded for Haliburton midseason to become their new centerpiece.

The Pacers have not selected in the top five [[link removed]] of any draft in the same time frame. They didn’t even have a pick in the single digits until they selected Bennedict Mathurin No. 6 in 2022.

But the team has found top-level talent later in drafts. Myles Turner was the No. 11 pick in 2015, while Andrew Nembhard was No. 31 in 2022. The Pacers team that made back-to-back conference finals appearances in the early 2010s was led by Paul George (No. 10 in 2010), Danny Granger (No. 17 in 2005), Lance Stephenson (No. 40 in 2010) and Roy Hibbert (No. 17 in 2008 by Raptors, traded to Indiana on draft night).

Indiana is also not a free-agency destination, but it has made trades for players willing to sign long-term deals. Haliburton inked a five-year, $260 million extension in 2023, a year after the team traded Domantas Sabonis for him, while All-Star Pascal Siakam signed a four-year, $189.5 million deal in July, months after the Pacers acquired him from the Raptors.

Critics can point out how the strategy has not worked because the Pacers have still never won an NBA championship. (The franchise won three ABA championships in 1970, 1972, and 1973.) However, it is one of the most consistently successful franchises, making the playoffs 27 times since 1990—a 75% rate. It has reached the conference finals 10 times in that span (27.8% rate) and made the NBA Finals in 2000.

The strategy hasn’t always been smooth, as there were calls from some fans to bottom out in the late 2010s once the team moved on from George & Co. While it did tear the team apart eventually (following a brief era with Victor Oladipo and Sabonis), the Pacers didn’t bottom out in the way other franchises have in recent years.

Now, Indiana is just three wins away from winning the Eastern Conference.

FRONT OFFICE SPORTS TODAY Tony Reali Gets Candid As ‘Around the Horn’ Sunsets

FOS illustration

ESPN’s Around the Horn is coming to an end Friday—and host Tony Reali sits down with Front Office Sports Today just one day before the final episode to give his candid reflection on the show’s legacy, why it ended, and what it’s meant to him personally and professionally.

Plus, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander wins MVP as Giannis Antetokounmpo tweets in protest, NHL ratings are down massively, and we remember Jim Irsay as his daughter gets ready to take control of the Colts.

Watch the full episode here [[link removed]].

STATUS REPORT Three Up, One Down

Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images

Golden State Valkyries ⬆ The WNBA’s expansion team won its first official regular-season game Wednesday, 76–74, over the Washington Mystics. The Valkyries have played two games at the Chase Center in San Francisco and have sold out both. They lead the league in average attendance [[link removed]] so far (18,064), according to Across the Timeline.

LIV Golf ⬆ The league announced four more events to be played in its content creator series [[link removed]], The Duels, which debuted at LIV’s Miami tournament last month. LIV events in Virginia, Dallas, the U.K., and Chicago will include versions of The Duels, featuring LIV members competing alongside popular golf influencers. Bryson DeChambeau will compete in at least one to-be-determined event. The Bryan Bros Golf YouTube channel will broadcast the next edition of The Duels from Virginia next month. That’s notable since Wesley Bryan was recently suspended from the PGA Tour [[link removed]] after competing in The Duels Miami event. The PGA Tour has one event remaining in its 2025 Creator Classic series at its Tour Championship in August.

LPGA ⬆ The women’s golf tour has hired Craig Kessler as its new commissioner. Kessler has been the PGA of America’s COO since 2023. He takes over for Mollie Marcoux Samaan, who stepped down in January [[link removed]]. Liz Moore, who has been serving as interim commissioner, said [[link removed]] women’s golf is still “underinvested” during a panel at the Breaking Barriers Summit hosted by Front Office Sports earlier this month.

NBA ratings ⬇ Game 1 of the Western Conference finals between the Thunder and Timberwolves averaged 5.36 million viewers on ESPN, the least-watched conference-finals opener since 2021 [[link removed]], according to Sports Media Watch. Excluding the 2020 and 2021 playoffs, which were scheduled changes due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Tuesday’s game was the least-watched conference finals Game 1 since Grizzlies vs. Spurs in 2013 on ABC. Before the conference finals, NBA playoff ratings were up 3% [[link removed]].

Conversation Starters Andrew Dutton transferred to Auburn after his Division III Birmingham-Southern College shut down. He was a graduate assistant who got his first at-bat on Senior Day—and he hit a home run. Watch it here [[link removed]]. For $1, West Virginia baseball player Robby Porco is offering fans the chance to “hang out.” Take a look [[link removed]]. Shai-Gilgeous Alexander was named the NBA MVP on Wednesday, marking the seventh year in a row an international player has won MVP. Check out [[link removed]] the list. Editors’ Picks Proposed Trump College Sports Commission May Never Happen [[link removed]]by Amanda Christovich [[link removed]]The White House is not sure of its plans. Woman Says Police Discouraged Rape Claim Against BYU Quarterback [[link removed]]by Margaret Fleming [[link removed]]The Provo police department denies her account. Tottenham Hotspur Ends Miserable Season With Nine-Figure Champions League Jackpot [[link removed]]by Margaret Fleming [[link removed]]The sloppy Europa final was decided on a questionable own goal. Advertise [[link removed]] Awards [[link removed]] Learning [[link removed]] Events [[link removed]] Video [[link removed]] Shows [[link removed]] Written by David Rumsey [[link removed]], Eric Fisher [[link removed]], Colin Salao [[link removed]] Edited by Matthew Tabeek [[link removed]], Or Moyal [[link removed]], Catherine Chen [[link removed]]

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